1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic imaging apparatus, and in particular to a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus used to diagnose various diseases using magnetic resonance images and a control method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, medical imaging apparatuses are apparatuses that acquire information on a patient and provide an image. Medical imaging apparatuses include X-ray apparatuses, ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses, computed tomography apparatuses, magnetic resonance imaging apparatuses, and the like.
Among these apparatuses in the prior art, magnetic resonance imaging apparatuses play an important role in medical fields using medical imaging because magnetic resonance imaging apparatuses have relatively free image capture conditions and provide excellent contrast in soft tissues and various diagnostic information images.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) generates images representing the density of atoms and molecules based on characteristics of their atomic nuclei and other physical and chemical properties by causing nuclear magnetic resonance of, for example, hydrogen atomic nuclei in a test subject, such as the body of a patient, using Radio Frequencies (RF) as specific ionization radiation and magnetic fields that are not harmful to human bodies.
More specifically, MRI apparatuses are diagnostic imaging apparatuses that diagnose the interior of a human body by applying a predetermined frequency and energy to atomic nuclei under the influence of a predetermined range of a magnetic field and converting energy emitted from the atomic nuclei into signals.
A proton is a constituent of an atomic nucleus and has a spin angular momentum and magnetic dipoles. Therefore, atomic nuclei are aligned in the direction of a magnetic field applied thereto and perform precessional motion in the direction of the magnetic field. With the precessional motion, an image of a human body may be acquired via nuclear magnetic resonance.
Meanwhile, MRI apparatuses may need a longer image capture time than other diagnostic imaging apparatuses. Furthermore, a certain time may be required to prepare for image capture, which may cause patients who undergoing diagnosis to fear image capture. For example, it may be necessary for a patient who is positioned within an RF coil to prepare for image capture alone within a bore while an operator inputs information on the patient and manually selects an image capture protocol. The patient may experience anxiety during the preparation time, and the entire time consumed for image capture may be lengthened. This work flow in the prior art may cause a reduction in the turnover ratio of patients.
When selection of an image capture protocol is carried out by the judgment of the operator, image capture suitability of the protocol may depend on the ability and skill of the operator. That is, as the operator selects the protocol based on his/her experience and knowledge, different images may be acquired according to the kind of sequence in the case of MRI diagnosis, and therefore the ability and skill of the operator may be an important factor to acquire an image suitable for diagnosis. This reliance on operator ability is not limited to the MRI apparatuses and may be applied to all other medical imaging apparatuses.